The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-09-10
TH0MPSON'S FLIGHT.
A LETTER RECEIVED FROM HIM
BUTT GIVES NO CLEw.

1t was Postinarked Little Rock, But is
Thought to Have Been Written Here
| The Insanity Theory Advanced
The Strange Secretiveness of His
Friends.
| Mrs. T, b. Thompson received letter from
her missing husband yesterday morning, but
it threw no light upon his mysterious con-
duct. The letter was postmarked Little Rock,
| Ark. In the letter Mr. Thompson said that
he had to leave Savannah that if he did not
sget away he would commit suicide The
firm, he said, had 81 800 to his credit, and
/ as to his interest in the firm he
would give that up. He wrote
that by the time his wife received the letter
he would be thousands of miles away. The
post mark created the belief that Mr.
Thompson had gone West somewhere His
friends are all firm IN the belief that he is
insane. They recount numerous actions of
his that, to their minds, are conclusive. 1t
| is said that of late when he has been wor
ried, he would leave his work and
walk up and downs the room with
his fingers tangled in his hair.
NO REASON FOR FLIGHT.
| This and many other similar statements
| are made to show that he must have lost
| his mind. His friends also say that there
| could be no reason for his leaving. His
home was happy one, his business prosper
Gus and his habits good. 1t could not be
| said that Mr.. Thompson has robbed the
firm, for if he has taken any money at all
| he cannot have taken an amount equal to
his interest in the business The receipt of
| the letter disposes. of course, of the idea of
| foul play, and thus his friends have turned
| to the insanity theory. That explanation
would be readily accepted by people gen
| orally, for they are loath to believe that
Tiney B. Thompson has done anything
wrong, were it not for the secretiveness
| of Mr.. McDonough and others connect
| ed with the case Mr. McDonough will
say nothing except that the accounts are in
bad shape and that he knows nothing of Mr..
Thompson's whereabouts. The clerks in
| the office will not talk of the matter at all.
The letter which was received was guarded
carefully, and but few knew its contents,
| and only a small portion of what it con-
tanned leaked out This policy has led to
the belief that Mr. Thompson has been
guilty of some great otfense which his
friends wish to conceal, but his friends say
| they are confident that he is insane, though
they are not hunting for him.
Mr.. McDonough was seem last night and
| asked if he had heard anything further re-
| ance.
Not thing" he answered; 81 am as
| much in the dark as ever for the cause of
his course"
Did not his letter give any clew!"
II did not receive any letter. Mrs.
Thompson received one this morning from
her husband but it gave no information re-
garding him, his whereabouts or why he
left. 1t seemed to have been written on the
train and contained no reference to business
affairs, so Mrs. Thompson told me- | did
not see the letter"
Then you haven't the least clew of any
sort regarding him or his y6vements."
mo, none at all. am totally at a loss
| to understand why he left. do know,
| however, the amount of extra work the
| chaotic condition of affairs has made me.
| But the books show up better every day,
| and it is more and more mysterious to me
| why he left"
TRACED TO JEsUP.
A gentleman remarked yesterday that one
| result of Mr.. Thompson's sackness was that
| the firm were now paying some S45 per day
each, demurrage on seven vessels.
Mr.. Delannoy the chief clerk in the office
| of McDonough & Co. was heard to say yes
| terday that Mr.. Thompson only took 81 600
| with him, and that that amount
| was rightfully his, as it was
| to his credit on the books
| The statement has been made that Thomp-
| son left the train at WaycroSs and from
that point began his journey West, but that
| has been proved untrue. Mr.. Withers trav-
| eled on the same train with him, and
he says that Thompson went through
| TO Jesup. There the trail is
lost, however, and nothing has been heard
of his movements since leaving that point
| and arriving at Little Rock, and there is
| even some doubt about whether he went to
Little Rock Mr.. McDonough says
| that the letter looks as if it had been
written on the train, but some of his friends
| believe that it was written in Savannah be-
| fore he left and kept until he reached Little
Rock, or perhaps he sent it in an envel-
| ope to the Postmaster at that point and had
| it mailed from there while he went to some
other place.